Things Change

In 1492, Columbus inadvertently discovered the New World in a voyage he set out on to prove that the world wasn’t flat. After reaching the New World, he set up several additional expeditions with the blessing of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. His purpose was to spread the word of God to the people living in the New World. At least, that’s the story many of us grew up hearing. While Columbus did indeed use his first voyage to attempt to find a quicker way to India, most educated people didn’t actually believe the world was flat. Also, Columbus didn’t discover anything. That should go without saying as there were already millions of people living in the lands that would one day be called the Americas. However, even if we ignore them, Columbus wasn’t even the first European to reach the New World. The Vikings had already found and set up short lived settlements in North America decades before Columbus’ voyage.

Those truths may lead some to question the importance of what Columbus did, but ultimately it was his efforts that opened up relations and interaction between the Old World and the New World. Even if Columbus wasn’t the trailblazer many thought he was, his accomplishments are still worthy of celebration right? Well, maybe not. The reason that so many now decry honoring Columbus at all is less about the details of him finding the New World and more about what he did when he arrived here. To put it simply, Columbus was not a good man, and at no time were his motivations honorable. While it might be true that his pitch to the rulers of Spain included the spreading of the Gospel, that wasn’t at all his interest. His desire for wealth and stature were what drove him.

Columbus was a cruel man. One of the first groups of Natives he met were by his own account so friendly that they didn’t even seem to understand the concept of violence. Instead of seeing their innocence and kindness and striving to build a mutually beneficial relationship with them, Columbus wrote the following: “They would make fine servants….” and “With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.” What followed from Columbus’ discovery of the America’s was a tyrannical and deadly campaign to exploit the newly found lands and brutalize the natives if they didn’t help him produce the riches he desired.

 Some of his defenders often claim that it was a different time then and that we can’t judge him by our modern sensibilities. The problem with that is even back then, Columbus’ poor character was well known. He was even arrested and stripped of his title as a result of his brutality and mismanagement of the American colonies under his leadership.

Is that even a good defense though? What if Columbus was just a product of his era? Would that really excuse his actions? Would that be reason to support the continued celebration of him? It seems that many nowadays would answer those questions with a strong “No.” Things change, and so do people. We shouldn’t be so committed to praising the past that we ignore the ills associated with it. That concept should be well understood by Christians. After all, every real Christian is a product of transformation. We all have been changed. The Bible tells that all humans are born in sin.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned - Romans 5:12

Because of the actions of Adam and Eve, sin was introduced into the world, and as a result, we all are born corrupted by it. However, as Christians, we believe in the concept of being born again, and that means accepting Jesus as the means of throwing off the person that was corrupted by sin and becoming a new person that can rise above sin.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Now when we become that new person, do we just rewrite or ignore who we once were? No, moving into the future doesn’t mean you forget the past. After all, for better or worse, our past bad selves contributed to our need to change and become something better. Those who witness the new you, won’t understand just how good the new person is unless they have some understanding of who the bad person was. Maybe that understanding will inspire them to make the same change. Just maybe it will lead to them accepting Jesus as their savior. 

As Christians, we are supposed to be motivated in everything by bringing glory to God. We only rob him of that glory if we try to rewrite the narrative associated with our pasts and reduce the magnitude of the change he made in our lives. Many people want to be celebrated in life. Maybe, if the truth comes out about who some of those people were, they won’t be celebrated. If they are Christians, that should be just fine. They shouldn’t need to be celebrated for either the past or present. They should only seek for God to receive all the praise due to Him for the change he made in their lives. Consider Paul. When it came to spreading the word of God to the Gentiles, Paul was the premier figure in the Bible. It would have been easy for him to speak only of his sacrifices and success in those efforts. He could have left his past behind him, but that’s not what he did.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. - 1 Timothy 1:12-14

Much of Paul’s ministry revolved around him making it known just how bad he was and how far God carried him. Most of us at our worst were not as vile as Paul was at his. Most of us at our best won’t be as pious as Paul was at his, but that doesn’t matter. God has implemented a work in everyone that believes in Him, and it is up to us to make sure that everyone who witnesses us understands how great that work is.

It is right for America to separate itself from the celebration of Columbus. His actions caused the pain and deaths of thousands and set the stage for both the further abuse of Native Americans and the development of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. In some ways, the celebration of Columbus is like a slap in the face to those who descend from the people that were harmed by his actions.  However, Americans should not forget that part of our history.  For this nation to truly progress, it has to acknowledge the ills of the past, some of which are still celebrated today. It has to show that it has changed and left old bad ways behind. Then it can stand as a beacon of not just what was but of what can be. The same can be said for us. If we truly believe that Jesus changes, we have to be willing to let that change show not just for our benefit but also so God can get the credit He so rightly deserves.

Chris Lawyer
Reference: https://medium.com/@danielberenson/twelve-reasons-not-to-celebrate-columbus-day-5689aff0e479

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